Blogs

Permit streamlining: AIA publishes new resource for components

By Paul Karrer posted 6 days ago
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AIA has published a new resource for permit streamlining advocates, especially state and local component members and staff, as a first step in planning for changes in their community.  View resource > Permit streamlining benefits everyone. Building owners and developers are more likely to move forward with their projects when unnecessary and unexpected delays are minimized. Architects can ensure the project they have designed gets built. Local communities realize significant economic development benefits by reducing costs while encouraging investment. Society and our planet thrive because of high-performance buildings and sustainably built communities. ...
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AIA Practice Management Digest - May 2021

By Karen O. Courtney AIA posted 7 days ago
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Navigating today’s new normal in practice How are firms navigating a return to the office—or changing their practices long-term to embrace virtual practice?    Letter from the editor By Karen Courtney, FSMPS, AIA     The month of May is one of new beginnings with spring growth emerging and warmer temperatures awakening us from a long winter. Much like the environment, the PM Digest is also reemerging after a year’s hiatus due to COVID-19. The last published issue was in March 2020 right before “normal” life halted, and we all learned to deal with the pandemic both personally and professionally. Now with vaccines available, it is time to consider ...
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Q3 2020 Connection - Editors note: Own your story

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 8 days ago
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Editors note By John J. Clark, AIA, NCARB Own your story Over the past year, I made a focused effort to rediscover my original passion for architecture, design, and problem solving. The stress put on our country and communities demonstrated the need for action, and the pandemic lockdowns early in the year provided the time and opportunity. In this journey, the best piece of advice I received was to channel my story. Instead of continuing to make excuses for my inaction or continuing to ask “how can I help,” reflecting on my background brought the clarity needed to set new goals for my career and impact through design. I had considered a career for social ...
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Q3 2020 Connection - Vice-chair’s message: Disrupt for enduring change

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 8 days ago
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Vice-chair’s message By Abigail Brown, AIA  Disrupt for enduring change Disruption. The very founding of the Young Architects Forum was based around change and interruption of our profession. It’s most often in the context of practice models, project delivery, emerging technologies to name but a few. Occasionally, a disruption comes along that demands the attention of all of us. Rarely does disruption occur as the sum of the factors we are witnessing today. A global pandemic, the reckoning with inequality, and catastrophic events brought about by climate change, have coalesced to make this year a call to action into every corner of our society. As I am ...
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The return to offices

By Ann Casso Hon. AIA posted 9 days ago
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By Ann Casso, Hon. AIA This article is excerpted from a series, the AIA Trust Firm Management Strategies Series, published October 2020 to theAIATrust.com . “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence—it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” —Peter Drucker    The current pandemic and resulting economic contraction are reminiscent of the 2008 recession even if for entirely different reasons. While many maintain that the economy is strong because the stock market is strong, many small businesses are either already in tatters or staring down a bleak financial future. Interviews were conducted with six AIA member firm owners ...
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Q3 2020 Connection - A brighter future: NOMA Detroit leads by example through Project Pipeline

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 9 days ago
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A brighter future  By Jonathon Jackson NOMA Detroit leads by example through Project Pipeline DETROIT. AKA Motown, Detroit Rock City, Hockey Town, The Motor City. Whatever you call it, Detroit has a rich history and a bright future. It’s where Motown was born, where the first Model T was produced, where Martin Luther King Jr. marched for equality, and where the National Organization of Minority Architects began nearly 50 years ago. NOMA has come a long way since its inception in 1971. But as in many other cities, the mistreatment of underserved communities has led to a severe wealth gap and a lack of diversity in the world of business, including our ...
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Q3 2020 Connection - I-NOMA president’s perspective

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 9 days ago
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I-NOMA president’s perspective   By Smitha C. Vasan, Assoc. AIA, NOMA I am about to come to the close of my term as President of the Illinois chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (I-NOMA), and it’s been incredible. The past 18 months have felt more like 10 years of meeting people, sharing experiences, and expanding my horizons. The most memorable experiences I’ve had are rooted in the stories I have been told and in the one-on-one interactions I’ve had. In creating a mission statement focused on community and legacy, the intention was to highlight and elevate the incredible depth we have with so many long-standing members local ...
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Q3 2020 Connection - Pipelines are relationships: A case for committed relationship building

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 10 days ago
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Pipelines are relationships: A case for committed relationship building By Beresford Pratt, AIA, NOMA Vasquez began reflecting on the impact that educating students had on her: “Coming from a small-town community, I have seen the effects of limited education opportunities, and I now see the genuine excitement when new ideas and material are presented by real-world practitioners. The students are always engaged and full of questions. I love seeing the students’ creativity shine, and it is a constant reminder that we are accomplishing something worthwhile for the next generation.” McAllister says, “At the end of the day, these efforts boil down to a group ...
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Q3 2020 Connection - Designing space — for growth

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 11 days ago
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Designing space — for growth  By Monica Blasko, AIA Advocating for change by first understanding where we stand today  A global pandemic. Work-from-home challenges. Self-isolation. Financial uncertainty. Mental health struggles. A looming presidential election. And now another (filmed) instance of police violence against a Black American. As one of our Women+ in Design Pittsburgh community members came to realize, “My response of ‘I don’t have time for this’ comes from a place of privilege.” Grappling In the wake of George Floyd’s killing by police and the resounding demands for racial justice, the women of W+iD PGH were rattled like so many others ...
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AIA Honolulu’s commitment to racial justice

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 11 days ago
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AIA Honolulu’s commitment to racial justice By Aki Yoshida, AIA, LEED AP  Throughout Hawaii’s stay-at-home order in March and April, our inboxes were flooded with actions taken by companies and organizations during this global pandemic. Shortly after the police killing of George Floyd, the emails focused on the national response to the Black Lives Matter movement, including AIA National’s message making its role and responsibility clear in dismantling systemic racism. I noticed that not many local Hawaii businesses or organizations had taken the time to publish a message on their stance or address the conversation at all. Hawaii is typically considered ...
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Architecture: the missing link between equitable communities and diverse professions

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 12 days ago
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Architecture: the missing link between equitable communities and diverse professions  By Kelsey Jordan, Assoc AIA, WELL AP The demographic makeup of the architectural profession is traditionally dominated by graying, white men. For years, diverse project teams have been sought, but if the architectural recruitment pool is inundated with white men, then how is the profession to have a truly holistic outlook when creating culturally inclusive built environments? Better yet, why is the built profession and other traditionally white-male-dominated fields still saturated with one aesthetic? The lack of diversity is more historically systematic in politics and ...
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Q3 2020 Connection - Reflecting on equity and moving forward

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 12 days ago
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Reflecting on equity and moving forward By Karen Lu, AIA, NOMA It has been three months since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and almost six months since the pandemic has affected our lives nationwide. More than 1,500 properties in Minneapolis and St. Paul were heavily damaged during the civil unrest. Many of these businesses and organizations — particularly those owned by Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) — were already suffering disproportionately as a result of the pandemic. How is AIA Minnesota responding, and what does this mean to our future work as an organization? Groundwork AIA Minnesota has been focused on ...
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Get Ready: Changes are coming to the 2022 FGI Guidelines

By Quinn A. deMenna AIA posted 13 days ago
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The next edition of the Facility Guidelines Institute ’s Guidelines documents will be released in early 2022. Written as minimum standards, the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals ; Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities ; and Guidelines for Design and Construction of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities are in final review by the 2022 Health Guidelines Revision Committee (HGRC), the 140-person volunteer body responsible for revising the documents.   Updates to the Guidelines were proposed by the public in 2019 and reflect changes in healthcare technology, practice and design. Drafts of the 2022 ...
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An Oral History of Hurricane Harvey

By April Ward posted 13 days ago
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Seniors seeking housing, health, and climate justice in the Gulf Coast, North America Introduction Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas during Hurricane season, August 2017, and left behind compounded devastation in the neighborhoods historically the most impacted by natural disasters and environmental injustice. In the city limits, Harvey damaged 148,413 single family homes primarily through flooding. Of those homes, 53% (78,659 households) were earning at or below 80% of the area median income for Houston and Texas. (HCD 2019) Families without savings, and seniors on fixed incomes, without home and flood insurance, were left teetering on the brink of permanent ...
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Q3 2020 Connection - We see you, emerging professionals

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 13 days ago
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We see you, emerging professionals By Michelle Montgomery, AIA, NCARB AIA Continental Europe brings opportunities to young architects One of the AIA Continental Europe chapter’s goals is to share knowledge and promote an open exchange between international architects and students, crossing generational and cultural boundaries. As one of seven chapters making up the AIA International Region, it provides emerging professionals truly diverse networking opportunities through a wide range of committees and programs. Attending up close and personal events that investigate a city,its planning, and its architecture provides the ability to connect with more seasoned ...
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Q3 2020 Connection - Architecture of inclusion: How the built environment can facilitate inclusion; a case study of the Rijeka mosque

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 14 days ago
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Architecture of inclusion By Hirbod Norouzianpour, Assoc. AIA How the built environment can facilitate inclusion: a case study of the Rijeka mosque Art and architecture are powerful media for creating a welcome space for those who might be considered “others.” Architecture particularly has this potential to provide context for interaction, engagement, dialogue, exchange of values, and mutual understanding. This interaction between diverse people can lead to the discovery of solutions to problems shared by the majority and minorities in a society. In addition, architecture and art can contribute significantly to creating a sense of belonging among minorities. ...
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A look to the future: Designing the hyflex workplace

By Craig E. Park Assoc. AIA posted 14 days ago
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By Craig Park, Assoc. AIA     For most design practices, the last year reframed our perspective on remote engagement, both internally and externally. Client connections, that were almost exclusively in-person, flipped to virtual meetings practically overnight. Design teams that had used video for coordination meetings on rare occasions now found Zoom and MS Teams were the norms. This new norm immediately changed the tradition of early- and mid-phase face-to-face coordination meetings. With everyone working from home, those occasional team activities quickly became weekly or even daily video calls. The immediacy of video, the effectiveness of BIM cloud ...
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Q3 2020 Connection - The emerging professional friendly firm program

By Matthew T. Pultorak AIA posted 14 days ago
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The emerging professional friendly firm program By Katelyn Chapin, AIA What makes a firm a great place to work for emerging professionals? Is it access to professional development opportunities, clear policies for advancement, support through the Architecture Registration Exam, or diversity among staff? For emerging professionals, who are defined by the AIA as “a student, recent graduate, candidate on the path to licensure, and architect licensed 10 years or less,” preferences vary, depending on career stage and professional goals. A balance between how a firm communicates with its staff, how leaders lead, how employees are supported, and how a firm cultivates ...
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Current SFx Board

By Matthew Clapper AIA posted 14 days ago
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2021 SFx Board Table Legend: Bold = Chair / Bold  = Executive Committee Region State Representative email California California Amanda Harpstead, AIA aharpstead@aiacalifornia.org Central States Kansas Greg Goss, AIA greg@drawarch.com Florida Florida David Corban, AIA dmc@davidcorban.com Gulf States Arkansas Michael Lejong, AIA, LEED AP BD+C mlejong@mahgarch.com Illinois Illinois Matthew Clapper, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP mclapper@mad-start.com International International Lara Presber, AIA lara@studiopresber.com Michigan Michigan Kurt Neiswender, AIA kurt@sfarch.us ...
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Current SFx State Representatives

By Matthew Clapper AIA posted 15 days ago
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Initial State Rep Positions begin January 2022! Apply Now! State Representative Email Alabama VACANT Alaska VACANT Arizona VACANT Arkansas VACANT California VACANT Colorado VACANT Connecticut VACANT Delaware VACANT Florida VACANT Georgia VACANT Guam VACANT Hawaii VACANT Idaho VACANT Illinois VACANT Indiana VACANT International VACANT Iowa VACANT Kansas VACANT Kentucky VACANT Louisiana VACANT Maine VACANT Maryland ...
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